Lonesome Jim

A depressed, directionless young man (Casey Affleck) moves back from New York to live with his parents and his divorced brother, who has two young daughters. Having lost his job, it seems his last alternative is to slink back to his mom and dad. His shiftless nature pervades as he meanders through his small Indiana hometown, but some dramatic events and a relationship with a local single mom (Liv Tyler) slowly evoke small changes as he questions the meaning of life and love. Directed by Steve Buscemi, this grainy, low-budget film has a plodding pace which certainly isn’t for everyone. As the snowy screen and washed out image tells us instantly at the beginning of the film, some may enjoy its somber reflection on rural life and its snail-crawl plot; but it wasn’t for me.

Early in the film, a song promises a false hope. “Good times are coming,� the lyrics profess, yet the film seems to indicate otherwise. Jim can barely stand being in the presence of his callous father or his overly-mothering mother. Like the dead, depressed writers the literate boy memorializes on his bedroom wall, Jim can find no joy or pleasure in this life. Even sex with a local nurse named Anika ends in dissatisfaction. His brother Tim, feeling overwhelmed by his daughters and loathing his lack of life achievement, ponders the meaning of life. Jim tells him that “On earth… in this life… there is no answer.� The chronic despair prompts Tim to “accidently� crash his car into a tree; with his brother in a coma, Jim finds himself coaching his nieces’ basketball team, working at his mom’s business alongside his Uncle, who calls himself Evil, and wrestling with a guilt trip.

Of course, Jim’s assessment of life on this earth isn’t necessarily incorrect. Matter of fact; his response is biblical. Solomon laments much the same thing in the poetry of Ecclesiastes, sounding like a slightly more eloquent Jim:

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.

All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Solomon later reminds us that this meaningless existence is essentially self-imposed, due to the fact that we have forgotten our Creator, the reason for our existence “under the sun.� He calls us to remember God before it’s too late and we find ourselves in the grave. Our protagonist in Lonesome Jim does not experience a religious epiphany like this, but he does learn an important lesson about love that might constitute a baby-step in that direction.

Jim runs into Anika again upon visiting his comatose brother, and the two strike up a... non-relationship? We’re not sure because they’re not sure. Things become even more awkward when Jim realizes she has a son. This responsibility-dodger has no desire to inherit any relational responsibilities, let alone the added bonus of being a surrogate father. To make matters worse, he inadvertently helps his Uncle use his mom’s business to move marijuana, landing his mother in deep trouble when the authorities assume the company is a front for selling drugs. A bad existence worsens, and as much as Jim hates his own life, he now fears he has ruined the already pitiful lives around him. It seems only a miracle will remedy the situation…

In a restaurant midway through the film, Anika confronts Jim with one of his most significant faults. As they sit together talking about Jim’s family, he claims that he “loves� them… but can’t stand to have anything to do with them. “What kind of love is that?� Anika asks simply, although her point is quite profound. Jim makes a claim to love his family but has no idea what “love� is. His emotion for them is not love at all, because love is not an emotion. Love is not something you are “in.� It’s something you DO.

Anika knows that love is not a feeling. Part of love may involve feeling, but equally essential components of love are action, choice, discipline, sacrifice, and more. Claiming a love that lacks these qualities is no love at all, but a cultural buzz word that has no efficacy. As the film continues, this realization slowly comes to light.

To further illustrate the issue, biblical scriptures demonstrate that God Himself is love; guys like Jim would do well to define love by looking at how their Creator first loved them.

•Love involves choice
Deuteronomy 30:16 – We are commanded to love
Joshua 23:11– We must exercise caution with our love
Hosea 12:6 – We must maintain our love

•Love involves action
Psalm 42:8 – God directs His love
Psalm 57:2 – God sends His love
1 John 4:9-10 – God showed His love by sending Christ

•Love involves Discipline
Job 5:17 – Do not despise God’s discipline
Proverbs 3:11-12 – Those whom God loves, He disciplines

•Love involves Sacrifice
Ephesians 5:1-2 – Imitate Christ as he gave himself up for us

•Love is efficacious. It produces change.
Romans 12:2 – Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

•Love is not something that comes and goes.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Anika makes the salient point that a love without action or involvement is not really love at all. While it’s true that Jim’s mother molly-coddles him, (“You’re my big baby boy!� she gushes) the problem is that Jim really IS a big baby, lamenting about life as a prolonged adolescent. Toward film’s end, he sees his mother for the loving servant that she is to her family and others. He also realizes with a jolt that Anika’s patience with him is also a demonstration of love. He hasn’t made any sweeping changes, but a seed has been planted that shows promise. Sometimes the simplest interactions can cultivate the greatest changes in our lives.

Director Buscemi seems quite adept at creating a visual portrait like Lonesome Jim, capturing the essence of these characters' lives and the pulse of their community. While the style and pace were not up my alley, it will undoubtedly speak to some viewers who resonate with Jim’s woes or Anika’s frustration with his undeveloped sense of love.